Genesis Yasmine Mohanraj,[2] known by her stage name Tommy Genesis, is a Canadian rapper and model. In 2016, Dazed magazine described her as "the internet's most rebellious underground rap queen". Her music incorporates experimental style and often sexual verses.[3] Her debut album titled Tommy Genesis was released in November 2018. Her second album Goldilocks X was released in September 2021.

Tommy Genesis
Genesis in 2023
Genesis in 2023
Background information
Birth nameGenesis Yasmine Mohanraj
BornVancouver, Canada
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • model
Years active2013–present[1]
Labels
Websitetommygenesis.com

Early life and education

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Genesis was born in Vancouver, Canada. She is of Malayali,[4] Tamil and Swedish descent.[5] She graduated from the Emily Carr University of Art and Design[6] where she studied film and sculpture.[7] Genesis is her birth name.[8]

Career

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Music

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Genesis started recording rap in 2013 as part of a project called G3NESIS.[1] In 2015 Genesis signed with Awful Records and released her debut mixtape World Vision.[5] In 2017 she signed with Downtown Records/Universal. She collaborated with Abra, another artist from Awful Records, on the track "Hair Like Water Wavy Like the Sea" from Genesis's debut mixtape World Vision.[9]

On July 28, 2018, she released the single "100 Bad". This song is the second collaboration that Tommy made with the music producer Charlie Heat, with whom she previously collaborated on the 2017 song "Tommy". The song is featured on her debut album, Tommy Genesis through Downtown/The Orchard.[10][11] Later, British singer-songwriter Charli XCX released a remix of "100 Bad" on September 7. Her debut album, Tommy Genesis was released on November 9, 2018.

In 2020, she collaborated with American experimental hip-hop artist JPEGMAFIA on his ep called EP!, on the track ROUGH 7.

In 2023, she appeared on Lana Del Rey's ninth studio album Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd on the 15th track, "Peppers", which samples her 2015 song "Angelina".[12]

Fashion

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Tommy Genesis was recruited by Calvin Klein for their Fall 2016 campaign along with other musical artists.[5] In 2017 she collaborated with rapper M.I.A. at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.[13]

Lyricism

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Gender and sexuality are common themes in Genesis' music and she has described herself as a "fetish rapper".[3] She is also an advocate against girl-on-girl cyberbullying.[14]

Personal life

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Genesis is bisexual.[15]

Discography

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Studio albums

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Title Details
Tommy Genesis[16]
Goldilocks X[17]
  • Released: September 10, 2021
  • Label: Downtown Records, Interscope Records
  • Format: Digital download, streaming, vinyl

Mixtapes

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Title Details
World Vision[18]

Singles

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Title Year Album
"Art" 2016 non-album singles
"They Cum They Go"
"Empty" 2017
"Tommy" Tommy Genesis
"Lucky" 2018 non-album single
"100 Bad"
(solo or remix featuring Charli XCX)
Tommy Genesis
"Daddy"
"Bad Boy"
"I'm Yours" 2019 non-album singles
"I'm Gone"
(with Jozzy)
"Cinderelly"
"Bricks"
(with Charli XCX)
"Peppermint" 2021 Goldilocks X
"A Woman Is a God"
(solo or featuring Bia)
"Burn the Witch"
(with Pvris and Alice Longyu Gao)[19]
2024 F.I.L.T.H

Guest appearances and collaborations

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Tours

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Headlining

  • God is Wild Tour (2019)

Supporting

References

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  1. ^ a b Mark Deming. Tommy Genesis Biography. AllMusic.
  2. ^ https://www.canadacompany.info/canada [dead link]
  3. ^ a b "New Face, Fresh Style: 'Fetish Rapper' & New Downtown Records Signee Tommy Genesis". Billboard.com. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  4. ^ "fun fact im Tamil and Malayali" Via instagram
  5. ^ a b c Cusumano, Katherine. "Welcome to the Twisted Fairytale World of Calvin Klein Model, Rapper, and Artist Tommy Genesis". W Magazine. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  6. ^ Mohanraj, Genesis Yasmine (2012). "2012 Graduation Exhibition". E. Collection at Emily Carr. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  7. ^ Stopa, Thalia (July 27, 2015). "Getting to the Roots of Tommy Genesis". BeatRoute Magazine. Archived from the original on January 16, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  8. ^ "and then god created tommy". I-d.vice.com. October 25, 2017.
  9. ^ "Tommy Genesis: 12 Things You Need To Know About The Bisexual Canadian 'Fetish Rapper'". Elleuk.com. July 3, 2017.
  10. ^ "Listen: Tommy Genesis – '100 Bad'". Clashmusic.com. June 29, 2018. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  11. ^ "Tommy Genesis Talks a Big Game on '100 Bad'". HighSnobiety.com. June 29, 2018. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  12. ^ Young, Alex (January 14, 2023). "Lana Del Rey reveals tracklist, topless artwork for new album". Consequence. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  13. ^ Marfil, Lorelei (March 24, 2017). "M.I.A. Hosts Mercedes-Benz Fashion Event". Wwd.com. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  14. ^ "Class of 2017: Tommy Genesis – Urban Outfitters – Blog". Blog.urbanoutfitters.com. Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  15. ^ Damshenas, Sam (October 29, 2018). "Tommy Genesis on why hip-hop doesn't embrace the LGBTQ community". Gay Times. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  16. ^ Marsh, Ariana. "Meet the New Queen of the Underground Hip-Hop Scene". Teen Vogue. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  17. ^ "Goldilocks x by Tommy Genesis". September 10, 2021. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  18. ^ "World Vision by Tommy Genesis". July 2, 2015. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  19. ^ "PVRIS teams up with Tommy Genesis and Alice Longyu-Gao for for[sic] brutal new single 'Burn The Witch". NME. February 17, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  20. ^ Listen to Baby.Daddi's Dreamy Self-Titled Debut, Papermag.com
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